It’s the Fourth of July weekend. Here are some ways to spend it.

Fourth of July

Pittsburgh’s Independence Day celebration is from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday in Point State Park, Downtown. Guests will be required to go through a security screening. There will be patriotic music and food vendors.

The fireworks are planned for 9:35 p.m.

Squonk Opera’s “Hand to Hand,” a participatory event will feature music and two giant purple puppet hands.

Shows will be at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday.

Audience members are invited on stage to power the giant fingers. River City Brass will perform at 8 p.m.

Admission is free.

Details: pittsburghpa.gov or squonk.org or rivercitybrass.org

Pittsburgh's 2022 Independence Day Celebration is just one week away! Monday, July 4, from 4 – 10 pm in #PointStatePark! Enjoy @squonkofficial and @rivercitybrass performances. @zamfireworks fireworks at 9:35 pm. Details: https://t.co/nyXa8a6rZH #July4Pgh @KDKARadio @WPXI pic.twitter.com/kLJCaOjfrt

— Pittsburgh Special Events (@PghEventsOffice) June 27, 2022

Anthrocon

The furries are returning to Pittsburgh for the first time since 2019. After missing the past two years because of the pandemic, the annual Anthrocon Convention runs through Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.

Organizers are expecting more than 10,000 people for the event which celebrates anthropomorphics, which are human-like animal characters.

It brings together people who are artists, animators, writers, costumers, puppeteers and fans who enjoy cartoon animals.

People attend from all over the world. The convention has been taking place here since 2006.

New this year is the Anthrocon Block Party from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday on Penn Avenue between Ninth and 11th streets. The fursuit parade will be at 2 p.m. that day and will finish at the block party.

Wildlife Works Inc. in Youngwood is this year’s charity.

Details: anthrocon.org

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Pittsburgh Festival Opera

Pittsburgh Festival Opera opens its summer season with in-person performances after missing two years because of the pandemic.

International star mezzo-soprano opera star and artistic director Marianne Cornetti will perform a solo concert “Legends in the Limelight” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the New Hazlett Theater on the North Side.

Also there will be the “Divas After Dark” cabaret at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and “The Telephone,” Gian Carlo Menotti’s comic opera at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Masks are recommended.

Tickets start at $53.

Details: pittsburghfestivalopera.org

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Fourth at the Fort

The Fort Pitt Museum will have its annual Fourth at the Fort event in Point State Park, Downtown from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Staff, scouts, and local veterans will kick off the event by raising a 36-foot American flag. A ceremony will be held in the Fort Pitt Block House yard and hosted by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, owners of the Fort Pitt Block House – the oldest building in the region.

There will be living history demonstrations.

Admission to the Fourth at the Fort event is free. Regular admission applies to enter the museum. Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for military, $4.50 for children ages 6-17. Children under 5 are free.

Details: heinzhistorycenter.org/fort-pitt

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Americana concert

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will perform 7 p.m. Friday at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Oakland.

The show titled “Americana Concert” will feature sing-alongs, marches, and tributes to military personnel. Songs include “Stars and Stripes Forever,” the “Armed Forces Salute” and John Williams’ “Music from The Patriot.”

John Stafford Smith’s “The Star-Spangled Banner” opens the program under assistant conductor Jacob Joyce.

The concert is free. Registration is required.

Details: pittsburghsymphony.org

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